After I submitted my application for financial aid, my EFC was 1945. The application was also randomly selected for verification. Also, even though I haven't lived with my mom in almost 2 years (hasn't been able to claim me as a dependent in at least a year), they still consider me a dependent. Because i'm unmarried and under 25. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, I turned in a verification worksheet, along with both my own and my mother's income tax forms for 2004 and our W2 forms.

I just found out that they knocked my EFC up to 3300-ish. I know that's on the high end of the spectrum, and now I'm very doubtful I'll get enough financial aid (if any). I was *really* hoping for grants, and not loans. Loans are okay, because I can defer them until I graduate the community college, and my credit cards will most definitely be paid off by then... but again, I was hoping for grants instead of loans, which seems unlikely now.

I only made 5000 last year, and my mom made 26,000. Where on earth do they assume that our combined income for last year is sufficient to pay for my school? Don't they have allowances/deductions for housing costs, utilities, and such? x_x;

I've been putting off college for many years now, but after seeing my EFC go up nearly (but not quite) two-fold, I'm not sure if school is a bright idea right now, if my financial aid is going to be shitty.

Go to school in GA! As long as you keep a B average, your tuition is paid for by the state government. Although I have no idea how long the funds will be there, considering how many kids are on that scholarship. :O I think the lottery funds it, so more people need to start playing again, haha

You have to be a Georgia resident though to get it. Now in California, a student can live in a dorm for a year, be declared a "resident" and pay TONS less than someone else out of state who keeps going back home. But in Georgia, I think you have to be there a full year and transfer over ALL of your things to Georgia to be considered a resident (I think most states have a year-long residency requirement, actually).

The lottery funds the HOPE scholarship which is only for Georgia residents and it's the only thing the lottery here funds in terms of college, so unless there is something new, to get the HOPE here in Georgia you have to establish residency. That's what I was refering to. ;)

You should qualify for Pell Grant and Work Study (though be careful, you usually can't have both!). Grants I don't know about. Loans they'll give you an option of no matter what pretty much (even if you're rich!). Don't know if Florida has anything special, though...

I hate Georgia, so I'll never move there, but does the HOPE scholarship cover *all* tuition? Is it easy to qualify? Just curious. :x

Florida has the Bright Futures scholarship funded by the lottery, but you have to be, pretty much, at the top of the class to get it, I think. I don't know how similar or different it is to Georgia's program.

When I said this, it was in relation to your remarks about California's college system and residency. I looked into schools while I was out there, and now that I remember, they do have a fee waiver... but I'm not exactly sure how that program works, either. Haha.

When I first remarked about that, I forgot they had that program. Oops.

Now, if more states had programs like California and Georgia has, I would NEVER bitch again about paying taxes.

Of course! It was just such a drastic difference in California. There is a difference in Georgia as well, it just isn't this HUGE gap. Out of state might pay a couple thousand more, not upwards of $9000+. XD